Jao The Ultimate Beginners Mead Recipe

[biggo]

Well finanly after about 3 months my mead is ready... At least it was... DOH!

I went down to my shed last night and looked at my mead, thought, what the heck is that refelction... realised I could see right through it!

Carefully (obviously not carefully enough) carried it up to the house to bottle, and by the time I got there I had stirred it up into a cloudy mess!

I have it sitting in a corner now, hopefully it will settle down again, so I can bottle it either tonight or on the weekend....

If your happy to wait longer I suggest racking again I didn't bottle mine until the 10 month mark and then I let it age for another 5

 

[kjparker]

If your happy to wait longer I suggest racking again I didn't bottle mine until the 10 month mark and then I let it age for another 5

I havent racked at all... It just cleared on it's own!

I'd like to bottle it as soon as it's ready!

 

[TmC]

It shouldn't take too long to settle down i dont think, i did the same and mine cleared up in about a fortnight. Might have been sooner but didnt check

 

[KudaPucat]

Bread yeast can be a bit 'fluffy'
If I have far to move it, or I'm particularly caring about a batch, I'll move it to where it needs to be racked 24 hrs prior to racking, this is usually enough time.
My problem has always been getting permission from SWMBO to have a bottle of mead sit undisturbed on the bench over night!

My mate did similar, but didn't think he needed to explain fully to his wife...
He calls me over to assist with racking (it was his first brew ever) and when I get there it's milky!
I gave him a serve about what 'clear' actually means, only to find him as stunned as me!
Unbeknownst to him, his wife decided the bench needed cleaning, and "Just moved it a little bit" (By simply pushing it across the bench)

It didn't take much convincing next time to get him to rack it in the shed, where he brews it :-D

 

[kaspa07]

Yeah, don't bottle it. It will continue to drop sediment for a while, and you don't want that in your bottles.
The mead will be better if bulk aged too, as it removes the variance you may experience between bottles, and it stops you trying to drink it, whilst still allowing small samples to be taken.

yea I racked into seccondary tell you what its tasting realy good, a few more months in the seccondary and its going to be ready just in time for summer I think(hope fingers crossed)

Finnaly got my mead recepie book delivered been doing some reading up, Thinking of adding some oak chips into it...but its probably to late now

 

[KudaPucat]

yea I racked into seccondary tell you what its tasting realy good, a few more months in the seccondary and its going to be ready just in time for summer I think(hope fingers crossed)

Finnaly got my mead recepie book delivered been doing some reading up, Thinking of adding some oak chips into it...but its probably to late now

It's never too late, but if you do, it will require MUCH more aging, and could well become a little too astringent.
Why is it you want to add oak? It should be pretty well balanced. Make a traditional, and oak some of it... doing a side by side test will give you an idea.

 

[spaced]

Hi Guys,

Rookie question. This has been fermenting for about 3 months, everything has dropped out fruit and what not. How do I get it from the water bottle it fermented in, into bottles without oxidisation? I've got some tube from the home brew store, but when I connected it with my bottling wand it wasn't a perfect seal.

 

[felten]

You have to have a good seal for the siphon to work.

I used a short length of surgical tubing and started a siphon with a syringe, then stuck it into the bottom of the bottles and pinched it to control the flow. I had a helping hand though, doing it by myself might have been difficult.

 

[TmC]

Bottled mine today, just over 4 months, left the other batch to carry on for a bit longer to see if there is a difference. Next im looking at going for a straight mead with some ageing possibilities. Looking at the Chubby Bat Mead recipe.

 

[depatbrewing]

well i took this recipe and ramped it up on the honey adding almost two kilos slicing the orange finer, what i got was about 1.200 starting grav im hoping for a low gravity finish they're bout to finish in october im extremely excited, from what ive been reading theres tons of info for beer but does any one know where i can find different cider and mead recipes though the ones i have found include things i cant find or dont understand some one help lol

 

[dogger]

Thanks Brewer Pete for bringing this recipe and expertise to AHB. Finally in the Bottle Saturday AM (about 3 1/2 months to clear for me), and a good dose out Saturday PM to assist with the celebration of the Supercats. Both liquor and Supercats memorable; to be repeated.

 

[kjparker]

I havent racked at all... It just cleared on it's own!

I'd like to bottle it as soon as it's ready!

I racked it that night into another demijohn, and it's been a week since then. I poured the last inch of murky liquid into a glass, mixed in a teaspoon of gelatin I had disolved in a little water, and stuck it in the fridge. I now have about a cm of beautifully clear mead sitting on top. Half wondering if I should gelatin the rest of it....

It's not as cloudy as it was, and is dropping sediment, so I'm hoping that given enough time it will clear again. Any guesses as to how long this would take? It is just sitting in the kitchen now, on top of the cupboard. Considering racking it again to try and help....

 

[KudaPucat]

I racked it that night into another demijohn, and it's been a week since then. I poured the last inch of murky liquid into a glass, mixed in a teaspoon of gelatin I had disolved in a little water, and stuck it in the fridge. I now have about a cm of beautifully clear mead sitting on top. Half wondering if I should gelatin the rest of it....

It's not as cloudy as it was, and is dropping sediment, so I'm hoping that given enough time it will clear again. Any guesses as to how long this would take? It is just sitting in the kitchen now, on top of the cupboard. Considering racking it again to try and help....

If it cleared once, it will clear again. You've removed all fruit and spices, so letting it sit now will not be detrimental.
Just wait. It could take a couple of weeks yet... be VERY gentle when moving it ;-)

I remember one of my meads, was semi clear, and I tested it by shaking it up...
two things occurred:
1 it dropped 5 points more than the 'control' bottle that was not shaken
2 it took 18 days longer to clear fully than the control bottle.

my test circumstances are different than yours, but maybe it will give you an idea.

 

[kjparker]

If it cleared once, it will clear again. You've removed all fruit and spices, so letting it sit now will not be detrimental.
Just wait. It could take a couple of weeks yet... be VERY gentle when moving it ;-)

I remember one of my meads, was semi clear, and I tested it by shaking it up...
two things occurred:
1 it dropped 5 points more than the 'control' bottle that was not shaken
2 it took 18 days longer to clear fully than the control bottle.

my test circumstances are different than yours, but maybe it will give you an idea.

It's definitely getting clearer, just taking it's time. At the rate it's going, it will probably be another week or so before it's clear.

Serves me right for not being carefull enough in moving it!

 

[kjparker]

It's definitely getting clearer, just taking it's time. At the rate it's going, it will probably be another week or so before it's clear.

Serves me right for not being carefull enough in moving it!

Had a look at it again last night, and it's almost clear again. I cant read through it yet, but I can see through. Another week or so I reckon....

 

[Margrethe]

Five weeks, and my mead is clear enough to read print through it nicely.

No fruit dropping, but there's a nice white clag at the bottom yeasties graveyard.

Gonna try it today (when its not 6.30am) and see if she's ready for bottling! If it is, its time to get some more on the go!

 

[KudaPucat]

It'll be right for bottling.
Chances are it won't be as clear as you think, so there will be a tiny sediment in the bottle.
Just bottle it, and don't shake your next one!!

 

[pk.sax]

Q: bottling meads, ur not carbonating at all are you?

PS: I've been looking at buying some of these instead of the traditional demijohn just for the wider mouth and good seal I get with the o-ring on them (I have smaller ones for pickles, tea and kitchen jars). 100 bucks and free delivery.
http://m.kitchenwaredirect.com.au/Bormioli...ar-Herm-5L.html

 

[KudaPucat]

Q: bottling meads, ur not carbonating at all are you?

PS: I've been looking at buying some of these instead of the traditional demijohn just for the wider mouth and good seal I get with the o-ring on them (I have smaller ones for pickles, tea and kitchen jars). 100 bucks and free delivery.
http://m.kitchenwaredirect.com.au/Bormioli...ar-Herm-5L.html

I'm sorry, $100? Huh? the link says $15. I hope you're getting more than one for that price!
The brewshop near me also has 20 and 3 litre demis with 100mm mouths for not much more than $1/litre

Regarding carbonating... who are you asking?
I've carbonated meads, both naturally and force. I think a JAO is nice carbonated, it takes some of the sugar off, without highlighting the bitterness.

 

[pk.sax]

Ah, yes - 15 bucks each but free delivery anywhere if total order is $100. Works out quite neatly for us far northerners usually, 5Lt demis go for 12.50-15 + swing cap @ brewshops. I.e. If any of them around here can bother opening for longer on even 1 day a week.

Re carbonating, yeah I was asking in general. I was getting nervous with all the talk of 'I shook it and it dropped another x points'. I've asked someone who knows someone who has hives if I can get some honey off him when he next raids them. Just preparing in general.

 

[kjparker]

Bottled my mead on Saturday, took it over to a mates place. It was a real hit!

I'll be making a bigger batch of this one!

 

[ShredMaster]

Wow.

Today I actually read almost all of the current 29 pages of this (slow day at work, meh). As mind-numbing as it sounds, I came home and found myself at the end of a lengthy explanation to the Mrs about how I somehow managed to come home from work (on a motorbike) with a couple of kilos of honey and a bunch of fruit and spices with this wicked look in my eye... :super:

Sanitised what was required, chopped what needed to be and stuffed it all into a couple of different bottles on hand: 2 x 1.5L glass jars and 1 x 2L plastic bottle. Whacked the yeast in and am currently scouting locations to leave these suckers for a few months without being juggled around and trying to keep them somewhere near a decent temp.

I'm sure it will work well, probably a bit "hot" on the alcohol side due to temps but it will still make a nice nightcap drop for Xmas time I reckon.

Thanx BP for starting the thread which ended up enticing me to explore this avenue!! Now I'm actually reading up on meads and learning even MORE about how fermentation works.


Cheers!!
Shred.

 

[KudaPucat]

Ah, yes - 15 bucks each but free delivery anywhere if total order is $100. Works out quite neatly for us far northerners usually, 5Lt demis go for 12.50-15 + swing cap @ brewshops. I.e. If any of them around here can bother opening for longer on even 1 day a week.

Re carbonating, yeah I was asking in general. I was getting nervous with all the talk of 'I shook it and it dropped another x points'. I've asked someone who knows someone who has hives if I can get some honey off him when he next raids them. Just preparing in general.

Shaking during ferment will have it drop further.
Shakingafter clear MAY start the yeast up again.
Racking or bottling can start the yeast up, but as your leaving 99.9999% of the colony behind, it's unlikely.
If you observe sanitisation procedures and the yeast is past it's tolerance it won't start up again. None of mine have.
If you let in another yeast, it could spell trouble.
But all in all, if a JAO has cleared, she's ready to bottle. I've never had one restart, but I have heard of it happening.
Don't worry, just brew... Mead is much more forgiving than beer.

On another note... How are you planning on airlocking those jars?

 

[pk.sax]

Clingwrap + rubber band and let the jar lid down on the cling wrap without latching it close. Get rid of clingwrap and latch close to age in bulk, siphon with sterilized silicone aquarium line. I suppose I should siphon and rack to a new jar to age....

 

[blakie21]

Just another success post haha. Put this together 2 months ago, after killing myself watching it clear but nothing drop I crash chilled (had seem some raisins rising and falling )

Everything fell out and I bottled today, had a sneaky morning sample and holy crap. This is the best mead I have ever tasted (doesn't mean much since store bought stuff sucked).

I urge everyone new to brewing in any form to try this! The only hard part is leaving it alone for 2 months

 

[Margrethe]

My brews been clear for a few weeks, but was really...carbonated and tasted like bad white wine.

No fruit had dropped on tasting, but now the fruit is dropping slowly- had a cinnamon drop first, now an orange quarter.

Its been down now for 8 weeks all up.

Should I be doing anything I'm not currently?

 

[pk.sax]

I found 20-25C on the first page and didn't look past page1.

I have it all ready to give this a go now Only thing I'm really concerned about is the temperatures.

My temperatures here are more like 30-35C all the time. I can manage to keep it cool for a whole week by putting the demi in an esky and a few packs of ice gel or something, but cannot do that as a long term thing.

Also, waiting for it to finish past the initial it in the demi - is it OK to bung it in the keg fridge @ 4-5C or am I better off keeping it in a warm dark cupboard?

I got plenty of some really nice tasting honey off a beekeeper here, dunno what variety but it tastes great!

 

[Ravvin]

Hi all, first post here.
I read through all the posts in this thread and decided to give mead a try. Since I only have 30L fermenters, I made up my brew using the scaled up recipe listed here, but I left an orange and a half out as the ones I got seemed to have a strong bitter pith, and I really prefer the sweeter drinks.
I couldn't find Fleishmann's Bread Yeast down here and had to use Lowans Bread Yeast. Possibly, this is where the problem lies.
I used local Clover honey, which I was told was mostly from Clover, but also anything else flowering that the bees found. I tasted it and it's the same clover taste I have been slathering on my toast for years, so its all good.
I started the batch on 13 October and the SG after 2hrs of settling down was 1.130.
It happily bubbled away for the next 3 weeks or so at about 30 to 40 bpm. (Bloops per Minute, technical term).
After this it slowed down and for the last 2 weeks it seems to have stopped or dropped to around 1 bpm.
The SG has been steady on 1.024 since 21 November, but the fruit and spices haven't dropped. I havent actually seem it bubble lately, but after taking the samples to check SG I have noticed that it repressurises the airlock after about 15mins.
There is a thick layer of silt in the bottom of the fermenter but I can take samples through the tap to check SG if I discard the first squirt that comes through. I tasted this the second time I checked the SQ and almost hurled. Makes you wonder how anything that tastes so disgusting can make good tasting bread. Anyway, once I realised I had to ditch the first yeast-filled squirt, it was actually not bad tasting.
Keeping the temperature down in the fermenter isn't a problem down here. We have just started getting those heatwave days of 21C here and the fermenter lives in an old fridge in the back room that never gets sun. I have an aquarium heater in the fermenter, set to 19 and from tests I have found that it seems to hold at about 20 to 22.
Just to list:
13/10/11 SG 1.130
6/11/11 SG 1.030
21/11/11 SG 1.024
7/12/11 SG 1.024
19/12/11 SG 1.024

I have no idea how to work out the alcohol content but I can tell you it leaves a warm burn in your throat after drinking the SG sample.
It worries me that nothing seems to be happening yet the fruit hasn't dropped. The fermenter is opaque plastic so I can't see how clear it is.
I'm tempted to run it through a very fine filter to remove any yeast stuff when I bottle it as it really tastes foul if you don't get it all out when you take the sample.
Should I be worried or do anything, or just leave it and hope it's all good in there?

 

[kaspa07]

Ravvin,

Im no expert only have one mead to my name so far, but I would rack it into another fermenter and let it settle for a few weeks, this will get rid of most od the crap on the bottom. I ended doing that twice before I bottled.

 

[nuggetron]

hey
ive read the first 5 pages of this forum, awesome read
pretty sure im gunna have a stab at it
firstly i have no demijohn, only the brewing barrel from the coopers kit
if i was to go into the homebrew shop what would be the list of things to buy to ferment bottle and enjoy mead?
looking for a 5l demijohn and all the equipment, how much would it rack up to?
also possibly a noob question
when fermenting rapidly for the first few days is it left open ie no lid or air lock?

cant wait to put it down and wait around 2 or so months for it